Katrina Evacuees

Dear Colleagues:

As you continue to assist with and respond to the needs of Katrina evacuees, we wanted to inform you of www.KatrinaHealth.org, a new, free, and secure online service which can connect Katrina evacuees, doctors, and pharmacists with important information about the prescription drugs evacuees were taking before they were forced to flee their homes.

KatrinaHealth.org was created on a volunteer basis through a joint effort by many partners, including the American Red Cross, American Medical Association, and the American College of Physicians. For a full list of supporters, please visit www.katrinahealth.org.

We hope that you will distribute this information to your staff as well as any organizations you are working with on the front lines of evacuee support so that they know this information is available and can pass it on to those affected by Katrina. We would also appreciate your posting a link to this on your website as well. We have also produced a KatrinaHealth.org flyer available in PDF format on the website - feel free to download the flyer and distribute as you see fit.

Please feel free to contact Sujata Tejwani at 212-713-7609 or at stejwani@markle.org with any questions you might have about this free and secure service.

Are you a doctor who is caring for evacuees who were forced to flee areas hit by Hurricane Katrina? If so, there is a new, free, and secure online service to help you look up pre-hurricane prescription drug information for individual evacuees from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Licensed physicians interested in availing themselves of this free and secure online service may sign up by calling the American Medical Association's Unified Service Center at 1-800-262-3211. More information about this new service can be found at http://www.katrinahealth.org/.

Are you a licensed pharmacist in a chain drug store, who is assisting evacuees who were forced to flee areas hit by Hurricane Katrina? If you are trying to refill a prescription or provide new prescription medications for Katrina evacuees, there is a new, free, and, secure online service to help you look up pre-hurricane prescription drug information for individual evacuees from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. For chain pharmacies seeking access, a representative from the chain pharmacy's headquarters should contact the Sure Scripts Electronic Prescribing Resource Center at 1-866-797-3239. Sure Scripts will authenticate and provide login information for chain pharmacies on behalf of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS). More information about this new service can be found at http://www.katrinahealth.org/.

Are you a licensed pharmacist in an independent drug store, who is assisting evacuees who were forced to flee areas hit by Hurricane Katrina? If you are trying to refill a prescription or provide new prescription medications for Katrina evacuees, there is a new, free, and secure online service to help you look up pre-hurricane prescription drug information for individual evacuees from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama; Independent pharmacy owners seeking access should contact the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) at 1-888-291-1131. The NCPA will authenticate and provide access for independent pharmacies. More information about this new service can be found at http://www.katrinahealth.org/.

Evacuees/Consumer Advocates

Were you forced to flee your home or apartment because of Hurricane Katrina? Are you having trouble remembering what prescription medications you were taking before the hurricane? Have you forgotten the dosages you were taking of specific medications? Did you lose important information about your medications in the storm? If so, there is a new, free, and secure online service to help you gain access to your own pre-hurricane prescription drug information. All you need to do is tell any doctor or pharmacist who is helping you about Katrina Health. After the doctor or pharmacists registers to use this free service, they will be able to access your personal health information. Please remember that: your doctor should call the American Medical Association's Unified Service Center at 1-800-262-3211.

Pharmacists who work for chain drug stores (e.g., Albertsons, CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Wal-Mart, etc.) should have a representative from the chain pharmacy's headquarters contact the Sure Scripts Electronic Prescribing Resource Center at 1-866-797-3239. Sure Scripts will authenticate and provide login information for chain pharmacies on behalf of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS).

Pharmacists who work for independent drug stores should call the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) at 1-888-291-1131. The NCPA will authenticate and provide access for independent pharmacies. ).

If you or any of your colleagues have questions about Katrina Health, please take a look at the FAQ section on the site and the press materials. Of course, if you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact Stuart Schear at the Markle Foundation @ sschear@markle.org, who is coordinating this effort.